'Sure,' Jesse said.
By the time he had driven up over the cobblestones and parked in the turnaround beside the house, two guys in seersucker sport coats and pink Lacoste polo shirts were standing on the side porch. Jesse got out and walked toward them.
'Chief Stone,' one of them said.
He was a pleasant-looking man, about Jesse's size. He was clean shaven and tanned and had a nice, healthy look about him.
'Here to see Mr. Galen,' Jesse said.
'Chief of all the police?' the other man said. 'In this whole big town?'
This man was younger and bigger, a bodybuilder with a crew cut and a tiny beard that occupied about two triangular inches below his bottom lip. Jesse looked at him for a moment without saying anything.
'You have a gun,' the older man said.
'I do,' Jesse said.
'Generally we're not supposed to let anyone bring a gun inside,' the older man said.
'But there's probably an exception for chiefs of police,' Jesse said.
'I don't see no reason for exceptions,' the younger man said.
The older man looked at him and then at Jesse and rolled his eyes.
'Normie,' he said. 'It ain't always wise to start up with the cops.'
Normie snorted.
'What kind of cop work you do?' Normie said. 'Bust people for clamming out of season?'
'What's your name?' Jesse said to the older man.
'Bob Davis,' the man said.
'Can we stop horsing around with Joe Palooka here and go on in and see Mr. Galen?'
'What's that mean?' Normie said. 'What's he mean, Joe Palooka?'
Bob smiled and shook his head.
'The perfect combo,' he said to Jesse. 'Stupid and aggressive.'
'Hey,' Normie said. 'Who you-'
Bob looked at him and said,
Normie stopped.
'Stay here,' Bob said to Normie.
Then he looked at Jesse and nodded for him to head toward the porch door. Bob's got a little clout, Jesse thought, as he followed him through the door.
10
REGGIE GALEN and his wife were having coffee together on their back deck, under a white awning, watching the iron-colored waves break against the rust-colored rocks at the foot of their lawn.
'Chief Stone,' Bob said. 'Mr. and Mrs. Galen.'
Galen glanced up at Jesse and nodded. Mrs. Galen stood and put out her hand.
'Hi,' she said. 'I'm Rebecca Galen.'
'Jesse Stone.'
'Would you like some coffee?'
'I would,' Jesse said.
She poured him some from a silver pot.
'Cream? Sugar?'
'Both,' Jesse said. 'Three sugars.'
She gestured toward a chair.
'Please,' she said.
When he was seated across from Reggie, she handed him his coffee. Rebecca poured more coffee into her husband's cup and a little more into her own. Then she sat down next to her husband and patted his forearm. Bob stood back a little and watched.
'You can go, Bobby,' Reggie said.
Bob nodded and left without a word.
'I love Bob,' Rebecca said.
Her husband grinned at her.
'Maybe I better get rid of him,' he said.
'No need,' Rebecca said. 'I love you more.'
'Whaddya thinka that,' Reggie said to Jesse. 'Woman like her saying things like that to me.'
'Glad to see you're happy,' Jesse said.
'Oh,' Rebecca said, 'we are.'
Reggie nodded. Rebecca was a knockout in white shorts and a black top. Dark hair cut shorter in the back than the front. Tan skin, big eyes, wide mouth. She was slim, but she looked strong. Reggie was tall and big-boned. He had a square face and an aggressive nose.
'So,' Reggie said. 'How'd you know my guy at the gate had a gun on his right hip?'
'I guessed,' Jesse said.
'And you guessed he was right-handed?'
'Most people are, and he was wearing a watch on his left wrist.'
'Wow,' Reggie said. 'No wonder you made chief.'
'It was nothing,' Jesse said.
'What would you have done if you were wrong?'
'I'da thought of something else,' Jesse said.
'I'll bet you would. Whaddya need?'
'Petrov Ognowski,' Jesse said.
'What about him?'
'He's dead,' Jesse said.
'Petey?'
'Somebody shot him in the back of the head. Probably with a.22 Mag,' Jesse said.
'When?' Reggie said.
Jesse told him. Rebecca stopped rubbing Reggie's forearm but left her hand resting on top of his.
'Goddamn,' Reggie said. 'I wondered where he was.'
'Ognowski worked for you.'
'Yes.'
'Doing what?'
'Security,' Reggie said.
'Like Bob,' Jesse said.
'Sort of,' Reggie said. 'Bob's, like, my guy. Petey was more like Normie and the guy at the gate. They took direction from Bob.'
'And Bob takes direction from you?'
'Me and Becca,' Reggie said.
'You got any idea why Petey got shot?' Jesse said.
'No,' Reggie said. 'Let's not bullshit each other. You know, and I know, I was in the rackets. You know, and I know, I done time. And you know, and I know, that everybody thinks I'm still in the rackets.'
'Which he isn't,' Rebecca said.
'And if he were?' Jesse said.
'I married him when he was,' Rebecca said.
'And if he were again?' Jesse said.
'I married him forever,' Rebecca said.
'How long you been married?' Jesse said.
He had no idea where he was going. But he had plenty of time.
'Twenty-one years,' Rebecca said.
'Wow,' Jesse said. 'You're older than you look.'
'I was twenty,' she said.
'Kids?'
